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I grew up in the church and we have a phrase, “mountain top experiences.” It is used to describe times of intense emotions, spiritual breakthrough and growth. Growing up and even as an adult I have had many. I cherish them, but the challenge is coming back down or serving others in the midst of them. It’s hard to go back to the valley.
Fun Fact:
A 2012 workplace study found that 63% of employees have high levels of stress at work. This can easily lead to burn out. (http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/23/stress-burnout-employees/1651897/)
Mountain Top Experiences:
Growing up the place of my mountain top experiences was a literal place in the mountains. I grew up going to church camp in the mountains of North Carolina along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The camp is called Laurel Ridge and it serves the Moravian Church for the Southeastern U.S.
I spent a week here each summer. I developed strong friendships, learned much about faith in Christ, and learned much about myself. I discovered new music and gained a deep appreciation for God’s creation. A huge part of these mountain top experiences were the college age staff. They are called the M-Staff. They were fun, energetic, and very caring. They made many quiet, awkward, and out of place kids feel special. They really ministered to me.
Looking back, I think they really made these mountain top experiences. Why? I didn’t know myself and was in no way confident. I looked up to them because they were honest and far from perfect. They were real in a way that the ministers and other adults could not be to me. Plus they were closer in age to me. They reached out and served. That spoke to me. It gave me a living example that you don’t have to be perfect to serve. You don’t have to have it all together to minister to others. They were roll models and I began to long for the day when I could be one of them.
I had the honor of being on M-Staff for two summers during college. I had grown a great deal and had other mountain top experiences along the way. I visited a weekend the summer before I came on staff. A friend, on staff, told me that it was a challenge because her place of mountain top experiences had become a place of work. That gave me pause.
Over those two summers I grew a great deal and even in the midst of working I had my share of mountain top experiences. What I learned those two summers has helped me the rest of my life. One of the things I learned was to keep my eyes on the road, because you never know what might be crossing it. In my case it was a bear, like I mentioned in the intro.
I looked at the time on the mountain as a challenge. I wanted to give back all that I had received to the next generation. But I didn’t want to let the work routine separate me from spiritual growth. It was a great challenge and I failed at it a lot! Being on staff you don’t get off the mountain a lot. So I had to make time to get away while still on the mountain. There were times that I left after the evening campfire and leaned up against a tree and was quiet. I took the time to reflect on the day, think about the needs of those around me, and let the purpose of the work sink in. Those experiences have helped me survive my working world life. We have to take time to process things.
I had several conversations with a fellow staff member over two summers. He was good at the physical labor, mechanical things, and even played the guitar. Going into to the first summer, I could not picture having a good working relationship with him, because we were so different. He was not that spiritual and a bit gruff. But my conversations with him, over the first summer, convinced me to come back for a second. In his words, but more in his actions he showed me how, even in the midst of working, we can grow so much mentally and spiritually.
That second summer really challenged me. I had graduated college and ready for my career. But my plans were not working out. I didn’t have a job or a career. I choose to work that second summer on staff for many reasons. Yes the M-Staff job provided work, time to look for a career job, and most of all safety. At that time, I really needed a mountain top experience! I learned, during that second summer, how to be ministered to and helped in the midst of serving. I was stressed and I learned that, if we cannot receive help and love we will burn out. This takes us back to the statistic I mentioned at the beginning of this podcast. If we don’t have some mountain top experiences we will burn out.
That time on the mountain has helped me not to burn out as I serve. Please take note folks, people who serve, especially quietly and behind the scenes need your support, love and service. You can help to make their work a mountain top experience.
Mountain top experiences where we learn, grow, and are built up are wonderful and we need them. But just like Moses, who had some awesome mountain top experiences, we cannot live on the mountain. We have to learn and grow in the mountains and in the valleys. We have to, like the M-Staff do, serve others in the midst of our mountain top experiences and help facilitate ones for others.
Here’s what I learned:
It can be disheartening have a high place become a place of work. But we can choose to work, serve AND be open to have those mountain experiences. My goal is to serve during in the midst of growth and grow in the midst of serving. That is what I learned yesterday.
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